But he didn't act with surprise or bitterness at being left out of the Yankees rotation. Rather than complain or blame others for his predicament (looking at you Jorge Posada), Burnett responded with humility.

"I'm not going to be the guy, either, to cause drama, be the bad apple or be the cancer," Burnett said Tuesday. "I'm here for the same reason everybody else is here."

"Whether it's one out, two outs, run and bunt — whatever — I'm in," Burnett said with a chuckle. "... I'll be down there and I'll be ready. And if I don't get the call, I don't get the call. I'll wait until the next series. As a team, we have one goal and, like I've said, anything I can do to help that out, I'm all in."

Burnett added that Girardi didn't dangle a carrot about him returning to the rotation for the next round, when the team might want to add another starter. Burnett hasn't shown enough to warrant any kind of promises.

"I never really took that huge step to turn it around. I took some baby steps here and there," Burnett said.

It was not all that surprising to hear Burnett talk that way. And yet, in this day and age, it was refreshing anyway.

Insurance against catastrophic injury to and/or meltdown by Sabathia, Pettitte and Hughes is all Burnett is worth right now.

So, bash him all you want for his performance (I have). Give him the business for being so well-paid and so inconsistent/bad on the mound. His biggest contributions to the Yankees season, so far, have come in his duties as their Dean of the Postgame Face Pie. It's been embarrassing, really.

But, in a day where fans brace themselves for selfish and petulant reactions from athletes, Burnett set a professional example for others to follow.